The Free Rider

It’s gotten so hot I’ve taken to walking around the local supermarket to cool off. The produce section is great, especially if they’re spraying water on the fruits and vegetables, then you get the cold air combined with the moisture particles in the air and it feels so refreshing. The dairy section is also pretty good because of the refrigeration but not as good as produce. The first few times I did this I really tried to look like I was shopping, looking intently at prices and the quality of pears, broccoli, lettuce and rutabagas; I pulled the different cheeses off the shelf and compared ingredients and prices. After about 20 minutes of cooling down err… shopping…I would leave. Now I just don’t care and I wonder if the Trade Fair employees are beginning to suspect that I’m stealing their AC when this big sweaty Asian guy is wandering the aisles not even looking at food. I guess it’s a public good so I’m not really reducing someone else’s enjoyment of air conditioning or increasing their costs of providing it (though as hot and sweaty I get…).

The first few times I did this I would sneak back out the entrance but the thing is they’re those motion-sensitive supermarket doors and to get back out you have to hover at the door and wait for someone to come in then rush out which is pretty embarrassing. The other option is to go out the register and just walk by the cashiers buying nothing, which is also pretty humiliating. Though I’ve noticed the far aisle is usually unmanned and if Trade Fair is crowded that I can duck out that aisle without anyone noticing. Of the two that seems like the less embarrassing option.

Or I guess I should just get an air conditioner for my room.